Over a one-week period, the video-gaming industry completely changed. Last fall, Sony released the brand new PlayStation 4. One week later, Sony’s biggest competitor in this industry released its new product, as Microsoft introduced the Xbox One. To an ordinary person, the release of these two new products might not be a big deal. But to sports gamers, the new consoles are revolutionizing the gaming industry.
The PS4 and Xbox One both have a wide array of features, some that are similar and some that are different. A person cannot go wrong buying either one, but I believe the Xbox One will capture sports gamers more than the PS4 will.
About the Xbox One
The Xbox One is the successor of the Xbox 360, which was released in 2005. Nine years later, Microsoft made some major changes to try and make its new gaming console the most popular one on the market. This new Xbox costs $499, and by December 31st, 3.9 million consoles had been sold.
About the PS4
The PS4 is Sony’s newest PlayStation, which was released seven years to the week that its predecessor, the PS3, was released. The PS4 is sold for $100 less than the Xbox One, as it is marked at $399. By the end of 2013, 4.2 million PS4s had been sold.
Features of the Xbox One
1. Kinect
The Xbox One has two parts to it. The first is the actual gaming console. The second is Kinect. Kinect allows users to make voice commands while playing Xbox. These commands can range all the way from calling timeout in the middle of a game to yelling at the referee and getting a technical foul in NBA 2K14. Kinect also allows a person to turn the Xbox on and off without ever getting off the couch. The Kinect feature really adds an interactive aspect to sports gaming, as a person really feels like they are coaching a team.
2. Xbox Live
Xbox Live is a feature that became popular with the Xbox 360, and now is new and improved. Xbox live also feeds off of Kinect, as a person can communicate with the person he is playing against without wearing a headset (this was how people spoke on Live with the Xbox 360). Because the Xbox 360 was the premier videogame system for sports gaming in the past, many of its users all switched to the Xbox One to be able to play Live with their friends.
3. Entertainment
The Xbox One brings entertainment into the gaming world for the first time. The Xbox One allows people to manage their TV channels with the Xbox controller. People can also do multiple things on the Xbox One at the same time. The split screen feature means that a person can play a game and watch TV at the same time, or use Skype and watch a movie simultaneously. One of the coolest new aspects of entertainment is the NFL on Xbox One. The Xbox One has scores, highlights, stats, and news updates all available to people using the device.
Features of the PS4
1. Personalization
The PS4 learns its owner’s behavior, as it realizes what the person likes and dislikes. It then helps customize a list of new content that it believes the owner will enjoy. This personalization is PlayStation’s attempt to match the Kinect feature of the Xbox One.
2. Play While Downloading
In the past, as a game was being downloaded, the system was unusable. The PS4 has changed this issue. A player can now start playing a game, even as it is still downloading. As many gamers want instant gratification and do not enjoy waiting, this feature is very attractive.
3. PlayStation App
This is the first time that a videogame console is connected with the smartphone/tablet worlds. The PlayStation App allows players to buy and download games directly to their console, without having to go physically buy the game. It will be very exciting to see how this introduction to the “app world” changes what competitors (particularly Xbox) do in the future.
Why pick the Xbox for sports gamers?
After analyzing some of the key features of both the Xbox One and the PS4, some might wonder why I think an avid sports gamer would prefer the Xbox One over the PS4. After all, the PS4 might have slightly better graphics, but other than that, for a sports fan, the Xbox One is the best option. The split screen capabilities, the NFL connection, and the success of sports games with the Xbox 360 when compared to the PS3 are the main reasons supporting my argument. I believe that both will continue with their successful sales, but as the Xbox has a large sports fan following, the PS4 has a large action and adventure fan following.